BMW and other carmakers team up to take on Waze and Google Maps

A company formerly owned by Nokia wants to create a more accurate, up-to-the-minute map of traffic conditions.  

The key? Getting multiple automakers to pool traffic data collected by their cars’ sensors. Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz will all contribute to the realtime map, a first for the navigation and auto industries — but the collaboration shouldn't come as a huge surprise, since the automakers teamed up to buy the company, HERE, back in 2015. 

The company says data collected by the connected vehicles about their surroundings will lead to "significantly higher accuracy and more precise information about traffic conditions" than other services like Google Maps and Waze, which depend on satellite data and user reports for their traffic maps.  Read more...